What's the new format of the FIBA Women's Basketball Word Cup 2026?

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    USA won the Women’s World Cup in 2022

    Sixteen teams. One city. One title. In 2026, a new format changes everything. Discover what the road to the top looks like.

    MIES (Switzerland) – Twelve teams competed at the FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup 2022 in Australia. However, as the women’s game continues to grow and improve across the globe, FIBA’s flagship women’s event needed a refresh to reflect this development and momentum.

    The tremendous impact of the four Continental Women’s Cups in 2025 clearly demonstrated that contenders from all regions are now preparing to challenge for the world title.

    The FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup 2026 will bring together the world’s top 16 national teams, with 36 games played over 10 days from 4 - 13 September 2026 in Berlin, Germany.

    The winners of the Group Phase are rewarded

    The sixteen teams will be divided into four groups of four. At the end of the Group Phase, the team finishing 1st in each group will qualify directly for the Quarter-Finals.

    Do-or-die games for a place in the Quarter-Finals

    The 2nd- and 3rd-placed teams will compete in a Qualification to Quarter-Finals round to be played in a single-game elimination format, with cross matchups between Groups A and B, and between Groups C and D.

    Final Stage: classic format, high stakes

    The winners of these qualification games will then advance to face the group winners in the Quarter-Finals. From there, the Final Phase will feature the Quarter-Finals, Semi-Finals, Final, and Third Place Game - all played in a single-elimination format.

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    Qualification Tracker: Who has punched their ticket to the Women's World Cup 2026?

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